- 72 -And I believe that the committee working on the grades of employees in the government has considered this matter. As for me, I have not seen this great increase in the number of Europeans in the last ten years without finding it difficult. At first, it might seem to anyone who sees it at first glance that the task has not been fulfilled in implementing the policy I explained at the beginning of this chapter. But when I considered the details, that impression changed in my mind because it became clear to me that out of the one hundred and ninety-two Europeans who increased in those years, 300 increased in the railway department, where the government had no significant authority until recently. Furthermore, the comfort and safety of the public also depended on the efficient management of the railway, so there is no room here for general arguments and suspicion of policy regarding the priority of employing Egyptians. Then, 47 of those Europeans increased in the Ministry of Public Works, where it was indispensable to employ a large number of Europeans and where the results obtained by the country proved that their employment was justified. And 68 increased in the Ministry of Public Education, where their increase was necessary to implement the policy of gradually replacing Europeans with Egyptians. And 37 increased in the Ports and Lighthouses department for specific reasons that have already been explained. These four departments accounted for 455 Europeans who increased in the last ten years. As for the remaining 107, their increase is not significant during that period, considering the special circumstances that Egypt found itself in. I do not mean by this that it was not possible to dispense with a few of the Europeans who entered the service of the Egyptian government, but if we look at this matter in general, we find that their increase was not significant enough to warrant criticism or gossip. In any case, the increase in some European employees was unavoidable, and it is not seen as possible or appropriate to reduce their number now. Indeed, some departments still need men from them, and it may be necessary to employ them there. My ultimate goal in saying this at the moment is that I hope this report will draw attention anew to not increasing European employees unless the need for their increase is clearly proven. There is another aspect to this general issue that I believe is progressing, which is that Egyptians have no right to complain about the employment of a moderately large number of Europeans, provided that they make an effort to train and educate Egyptians so that their share of government positions increases. This is something I want to impress upon the heads of departments, and I hope they will comply. They, too, will comply with the heads of the major departments, because I see that the full potential of Egyptians can be developed under European officials and trained more than it is now.